Measure of a Man
by SnarkWolf
Summary: Yuu Yanase has been hung up on Chiaki Yoshino ever since he can remember. But when he meets Kyo Ijuuin in person, he starts to realize new feelings within him.
1. Chapter 1

**'Sup guys? Anyway, I decide to write an IjuuinxYuu fic because a) I love this ship, b) there isn't enough written about them, and c) I think they deserve a bigger fanbase. Here we go.**

* * *

Yuu was lying down on his living room floor. He had been staring at Chiaki's picture in his phone for forty-seven minutes.

"Chiaki, why can't you see…" Yuu said to himself.

Being rejected by Chiaki again and again has made Yuu constantly depressed. No matter hard he's tried to prove that he could be better for Chiaki than Hatori, Chiaki would always say no and told him that they're just friends and nothing more. For the past few weeks, he had been just staying at home and ignoring calls. But today, he decided enough was enough.

"I can't just keep lying down here. Life can't just stop here. I need to get out of here for a while."

And with that, Yuu got up, changed his clothes and slipped on his shoes. He knew that it was cold outside and it was snowing, so he also put on his winter coat and scarf and went outside. Yuu began walking around with no intended place to go. He ended up walking by Marimo Books. He saw a huge crowd inside and was curious.

"What's going on over there?" Yuu asked himself as he entered the bookstore.

It turns out it was a special release for a limited new edition of The Kan. Chiaki and Yuu were big fans of this manga and often bonded over it. Nowadays, it seemed that Yuu stopped reading it since it gave him memories with Chiaki. But seeing all this, it appeared that his interest had resurged. He picked a copy and purchased it. Then all of a sudden he heard some cheering. He turned around to see what was the commotion. Someone popular had entered the bookstore.

It was Kyo Ijuuin, the author himself. He was quite sharp-dressed and had a friendly smirk on his face. It appears that he came here to sign the limited edition books for his fans.

"I can't believe it. Ijuuin-sensei in the flesh." Yuu said in his head.

Ijuuin then sat down on a nearby table and within seconds of sitting down, a huge line formed in front of him. Luckily, Yuu was able to line up as well.

After a while, it was Yuu's turn to have his copy signed. Ijuuin picked up his pen and opened Yuu's book.

"And who should I write this to?" Ijuuin asked.

"Yuu Yanase, sir."

"All right, Yanase-san. So what do you do?" the older man began as he signed Yuu's book.

"I'm a manga artist, sir. I'm also Chiharu Yoshikawa's chief assistant. But most of the time, I work at home."

"Ah. Yoshikawa's work is quite interesting, in my opinion. It must be an honor to work with such an author." Ijuuin commented.

"It is, Ijuuin-sensei. He's actually an old friend of mine. We both read your manga and we enjoy it very much." Yuu nodded.

"Thank you, Yanase-san. That's very flattering to hear. Here is your book. And here is my business card as well." said Ijuuin as he handed Yuu the items. The younger man wanted to give his business card as well, but unfortunately, he didn't bring them with him.

"I'm very sorry, Ijuuin-sensei. I don't think I have my business card with me right now." Yuu apologized.

"That's okay, Yanase-san. We'll probably meet each other whenever you're in Marukawa or you can call me." Ijuuin reassured.

"Okay, I will. Thank you very much, Ijuuin-sensei." Yuu thanked as he left the line and then went out the bookstore. He opened his copy to see what Ijuuin wrote. It read:

_Yanase-san, _

_Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I guarantee that you will enjoy this volume. I noticed that you were feeling a little down, so I'm telling you to chin up and keep on drawing and drawing. When you do, you'll forget about why you were sad in the first place. Trust me, it has worked for me several times. I hope that cheered you up._

_ - Kyo Ijuuin_

After reading that message, Yuu felt like a huge weight had dropped from his shoulders. He no longer felt sad; no, instead he had a warm, fuzzy feeling throughout his body.

"Ijuuin-sensei noticed I was feeling down, huh? I tried my best to put on a happy façade, but somehow, he was able to tell that I was upset about something. He's a pretty decent guy."

And with that, he smirked and had the strength to talk to Chiaki again.

"I'm gonna tell Chiaki I met him. He's gonna be so jealous."

Yuu pulled out his phone and started to call Chiaki. The other guy answered it almost immediately.

"Yuu! You're finally returning my calls!" Chiaki exclaimed over the phone.

"Yes, I am. Get this. I met Kyo Ijuuin-sensei in person at Marimo Books today." Yuu told him.

"What? No freaking way! You met Ijuuin-sensei in person?" Chiaki began to fanboy over that fact.

"Yes, I did. He even signed the limited edition volume of The Kan."

"Wow! I'm so jealous, Yuu! But more importantly, I'm glad we're talking again. Even after everything, you're still my friend."

"I'm glad too, Chiaki. For some reason, I feel okay. I think I feel fine. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Yuu asked.

"Um, okay. Bye, Yuu. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Chiaki. See ya."

Yuu hung up his phone and began to look up at the night sky, where it began snowing again.

"I guess getting out of the house was a good idea. If I just stayed at home sulking, I wouldn't be in this good of a mood."

Then Yuu pulled out Ijuuin's business card.

"Ijuuin-sensei's business card. Damn, I wish I could've given mine too if I had them. But…he did say I could call him. After all, I gave him my word and it would be rude if I didn't…"

Yuu continued to think about Ijuuin as he started to walk home. All of sudden, he felt even warmer with more thought.

"What am I feeling right now?"

* * *

**Author's note**

**- I'm not entirely sure about the characterizations of them. Ijuuin's and Yuu's plots in the actual stories usually revolve around Misaki and Chiaki, respectively. So I'll try my best to give them suitable traits. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Long overdue, here is chapter two.**

* * *

The next day, Yuu arrived in Marukawa Shoten, bright and early. Since the usual studio was getting fixed and renovated, there was a room in Marukawa that no one was using, so Chiaki and his team were using it as a temporary studio. Chiaki was happy to see him again after all those weeks of the cold shoulder.

"Yuu, it's so great to see you again!" Chiaki said as he ran up to his friend.

"It's great to be working with you again, Chiaki. Of course, I've got to keep on working so I won't lose my edge." Yuu smirked.

"Uh, right. That's right." laughed Chiaki as they walked over at their desks to work. They began to sketch some new scenes for Chiaki's manga as Chiaki began to ask about Yuu's meeting with Ijuuin.

"So what was it like meeting Ijuuin-sensei?" asked Chiaki.

"It was really awesome. He said that he thought your work was interesting and he thought that it was an honor that I get to work with you. Which it is."

"Wow! He sounds like a really nice guy!"

"He is. He gave me his business card as well." said Yuu as he showed Chiaki the business card.

"You're really lucky, Yuu. I can't wait to meet him too."

And speak of the devil, Ijuuin suddenly passed by and recognized Yanase. He went inside to greet him.

"Yanase-san. Fancy bumping into you here." Ijuuin smiled as he greeted Yuu.

"Ah, Ijuuin-sensei. It's quite a surprise to see you here." Yuu commented with a smile on his face. Apparently, Chiaki was quite speechless to see Yuu and Ijuuin communicating casually.

"Oh, by the way. Ijuuin-sensei, this is Chiharu Yoshikawa himself. Real name Chiaki Yoshino." Yuu said as he introduced Chiaki to Ijuuin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshino-san." Ijuuin said as he shook the star-struck young man's hand.

"Oh no, Ijuuin-sensei! If anything, it's a pleasure to meet _you_!" said a very excited Chiaki, who felt that he wasn't worthy in Ijuuin's presence. Ijuuin was quite flattered but was modest about it.

"Relax, Yoshino-san. You don't need to go crazy over me. I'm a mangaka just like you."

"But you're Kyo Ijuuin, author of The Kan! I could never write anything like that."

"Don't think that way, Yoshino-san. I've read your work; your stories have a lot of depth and I enjoy the character development." Ijuuin reassured Chiaki.

"Whoa. Thank you, Ijuuin-sensei." Chiaki thanked him.

Then Ijuuin looked over at Yuu and glanced at him sketching something.

"Sketching something there, Yanase-san?" Ijuuin asked, which sort of startled him.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Yuu replied, trying to hide the paper. He was sketching Ijuuin since he looked good in a natural pose.

"Yanase-san, I want to see it, please." Ijuuin asked nicely. Yuu, not wanting to disrespect Ijuuin, gave him the paper. "Is this supposed to be me, Yanase-san?"

"Yes, it is. It's just that you look quite photogenic and I thought that sketching you would—"

"Can I keep it?"

"What?"

"I like it. It definitely looks like me. Is it finished yet?"

"Well, it is. So…you can keep it." Yuu said as he blushed slightly.

"Thank you, Yanase-san. Well, it was nice seeing you both. I probably see you later when I take my next break."

Ijuuin nodded and showed himself out. Yuu was speechless and he felt his chest tighten.

"Whoa, Yuu. Ijuuin-sensei liked your drawing." Chiaki commented to his friend.

"I know. It's…perplexing."

"What was it a drawing of?"

"Just…something. We should probably get back to work, Chiaki. The deadline is important. " Yuu said, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh. Okay." Chiaki nodded,

Soon, night came and Yuu and Chiaki were more then halfway done. Then Chiaki suddenly remembered that he had plans with Hatori.

"Oh shit, I almost forgot! Tori and I were supposed to go see a movie. I don't know what I'm gonna do!"

"Go ahead." Yuu answered tersely.

"Huh?" Chiaki asked.

"You can go on ahead. I'll finish up everything here and I'll give it to you as soon as I'm done, hopefully tomorrow at the earliest."

"Are you sure, Yuu?"

"I'm sure. After all, I owe you a lot of help. It's the least I can do."

"Okay, if you insist. Thanks, Yuu." Chiaki thanked his friend shortly before leaving. As Yuu continued to work, he was thinking about his friendship with Chiaki.

"Sigh. I'm starting to think everything I do for him is getting compulsive. I mean, what do I really want from this? I know I want him to be happy, but this is making me miserable. He's told me several times he's not interested in me in that way. And slowly, I've painfully realized that. I guess this isn't meant to be…"

Meanwhile, as Ijuuin was about to head home, he spotted Yuu, working in that dark room with only the lamp by the desk as a light source. Ijuuin, seeing how alone he was, decided to keep him company.

"Yanase-san, what are you still doing here at this hour?" Ijuuin interrogated.

This startled Yuu again. "Oh, Sensei! I'm-I'm just finishing up some stuff Yoshikawa left for me to do."

"Yes, but this much work? Isn't this his manga?"

"He had other affairs to deal with tonight. And there really isn't anything waiting for me at home, so I might as well finish it here. Anyway, I've stayed at home way too long and I needed to go out."

Understanding this situation, Ijuuin grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over so he could sit next to Yuu. This made Yuu blush a little bit.

"Sensei? What's going on?"

"I figured I should keep you company. It's pretty late and it's cold."

"You don't have to pity me, Ijuuin-sensei. You don't have to stay. I'm fine."

"It's not that I have to stay; I want to stay. After all, it's my obligation as your acquaintance."

"Obligation? Acquaintance?" Yuu asked with a confused look on his face.

Ijuuin nodded. "Of course. You're an interesting person to be around, Yanase-san. You're talented and a hard-worker. I somehow wish my team members could be more like you."

"That's kind of…a bit much, but thank you anyway."

Later, Yuu was able to finish everything; earlier than expected. He stuffed the papers into an envelope and packed up his things.

"Looks like you finished early. Great job."

"Yeah, thanks. And by the way, I don't think anyone should know that you were here with me. Chiaki would kill me if he found out a rival author was keeping me company."

"I know what you mean. Not to worry, I didn't see anything at all. This'll be our little secret."

"Um, okay." stammered Yuu as he blushed again.

"Hey, Yanase. Would you mind if I walk with you?'

"N-no, not at all! It's perfectly fine."

As they began walking out together, they started to have a conversation about Yuu's job. It also happened to snow, so their environment was very white.

"So, are you an exclusive assistant to anyone?"

"Although I do work with Chiaki a lot, I'm not exclusive to anyone. I mostly do freelance work. So I don't take sides."

"That's good. You know, with your skills, I think you could help me with my work. You're a great artist, Yanase-san."

"Me? Help you with your work?" Yuu asked as he pointed to himself.

"Yes, definitely. You'll be quite useful to my team. So, what do you say, Yanase-san?"

Yuu's chest tightened even more. It wasn't clear if he was excited that one of his favorite mangaka offered him a job to do or something else. But either way, he couldn't refuse.

"Of course! It would be an honor to work with you. You can call me anytime. Here's my card."

Luckily, Yuu had his business cards with him this time, so he proceeded to give Ijuuin one, albeit he was shaking quite a bit.

"Don't be nervous, Yanase-san. It's okay." reassured Ijuuin as he ruffled Yuu's hair. Which made Yuu blush.

"Well, this is my way home. So, I'll see you when I see you, Sensei?"

"Sure thing. See you." Ijuuin smirked.

As Yuu was walking home, he contemplated what that hair-ruffling meant.

"What was that all about? We only met yesterday and he's being awfully chummy with me. And I feel cold, but somehow…I feel warm too."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**- I'm not entirely sure if I kept them in character or not, so please give me some tips if you have 'em.**

**- I have a few ideas in mind for their love epiphanies, but I'd like to hear yours. So, please share them with me. I like to make my readers happy.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi. Sorry this took so effin' long. I've been reading other stories to gain inspiration and honestly, it's working. **

* * *

The next morning, Yuu went over to Chiaki's place to deliver the finished scenes. He knocked on the door and Chiaki answered.

"Hey, Chiaki. I got to finish them by last night. And here they are, at the earliest." said Yuu as he held up a brown envelope.

"Awesome! Thanks, Yuu. You really kept your word!" Chiaki beamed.

"You're welcome. Though, we've gotta run through it first. Is it okay if I come in for a while?"

"Not a problem, Yuu."

The lighter-haired man entered the place, finding Hatori was there as well.

"Hello, Yanase. What are you doing here?" Hatori begrudgingly greeted.

"Hey, Hatori. Save your breath, I'm only here to deliver the finished scenes and run through them with Chiaki; I'll be out as soon as possible."

"No need to be so cynical, Yanase." Hatori snarked, which slighty angered Yuu. Chiaki intervened before any conflict could escalate.

"Ahahaha. So, Yuu, what are the things you need to show me?"

Yuu calmed down and showed Chiaki the changes he made.

"I fixed this scene a little bit since I felt that the feelings would be a little more heightened. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all, Yuu. In fact, I think you made it a little better." Chiaki commented, with a big smile on his face. This made Yuu smile, but at the same time, made him kind of sad.

"Um, thank you, Chiaki. I just hope I didn't drastically change anything…. Anyway, I'll see you later." Yuu responded in a somewhat sad tone.

"Is something the matter, Yuu?"

"No, it's nothing. I just have other business to deal with." Yuu responded quite tersely.

"Okay, Yuu. So, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Yuu said as he quietly exited Chiaki's place.

"What is it something I said?" Chiaki asked Hatori.

Hatori just shrugged "It's probably work and such. He'll be fine."

Chiaki just nodded and sat back on his couch as he continued to view the manuscript.

Yuu continued on his way home, still looking down.

"This isn't fair. This isn't fair at all. Why do I keep losing myself to that face?" the brown-haired man pondered angrily.

* * *

Soon, Yuu reached his home, immediately went to his bedroom and jumped onto his bed. Just then, he heard his phone ringing.

"Hello?" Yuu answered.

"Good morning, Yanase-san. Sorry for calling you so early."

"Ah, Ijuuin-sensei. Don't worry. It's not too early. In fact, I've been up since earlier this morning."

"Oh? Doing what?"

"Um, I was delivering the finished manuscript to Chiaki— I mean, Yoshino."

"Oh, I see. May I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything, Ijuuin-sensei." Yuu responded.

"Would you like to have lunch with me today?"

Yuu started to blush and gulped out of nervousness.

"Oh God, is he asking me out?" he thought to himself. He didn't know how to respond to Ijuuin's request; but he didn't want to disrespect him.

"Well, that sounds…nice. But what for, though?"

"I'd like to discuss some business matters with you. I think we can only do that if we meet up face-to-face. Is that fine?"

"Of course it's fine, Sensei. If it's business matters, then I'm willing to meet up with you."

"Wonderful. The restaurant is a place called the River Café. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Oh, I think I've passed that place before, so I'll probably have no trouble finding it." Yuu assured, still blushing.

"Great. I'll meet you there. See you." Ijuuin grinned as he hung up the phone.

Yuu was standing on the sidewalk, stunned by Ijuuin's sudden request. His heart was rapidly beating. As he went on walking, he started talking to himself.

"It's a relief to know that it's not a date. It's just business, after all. But…"

Yuu paused.

"…Why was the first thing that came to my mind a date? I mean, I do admire him and his work. After meeting him, I've been feeling less depressed. He encourages me and he said I was interesting. It may not be much to others, but to me, it means a lot to me. After everything I've been through, the kindness from him is just what I need. However, does that mean…I like Ijuuin-sensei?"

Then he shook his head as another thought popped into his head.

"Nah, it can't be. It's impossible for someone to be in love with more than one person; I already love Chiaki. And besides, if I loved Sensei instead, what we know about each other wouldn't be enough to build a relationship on. It's ludicrous."

* * *

A few minutes later, Yuu reached the River Café, went inside, and found Ijuuin sitting on a table near a window. Yuu went up to him.

"Good day, Sensei. Am I late?"

"No, you're right on time, Yanase-san. I haven't even ordered yet, I was waiting for you."

Yuu almost blushed again, but this time, he kept his cool and took a breath.

"Sensei, you didn't have to wait for me." he snarked.

"Don't tell me that I don't have to do things, Yanase-san. I waited for you on my own will."

"Well, if it was on your own will…" the younger man said as he sat down on the chair across Ijuuin.

It wasn't long before they ordered their food. As they waited, the two men decided to converse.

"So Sensei, what did you call me here for?"

"I'm making you an offer you can't refuse." Ijuuin stated.

"You're making it sound like a scene from The Godfather."

"Am I? Oh sorry, that sort of slipped out. I admit that I'm quite the cinephile. Sometimes, I make movie references without knowing it. It's a quirk."

"That's indeed quite quirky, Ijuuin-sensei. So, what is this offer?"

"Oh yes, my offer. I would like for you to work with me."

"Really?!— I mean, you're offering me some work?" Yuu exclaimed excitedly, before swerving to stoicism.

"That's right. One of my team members just became a father and is away right now. I'm working on the next volume and it's going to be quite hectic. From what I saw yesterday, you're a really hard worker and I think you could be very useful. So, what do you say?"

Yuu was in a tight spot here. He loved working with Chiaki, since he loved him, but a big opportunity like this only comes once in a blue moon. He revered Ijuuin, so he was finding it very hard to refuse the job. He took a deep breath.

"I'd-I'd love to work with you, Sensei."

"Splendid, I look forward to it. Oh, and it appears our food is here." Ijuuin said as they saw the waitress bringing over the food.

* * *

Soon enough, they started eating and there was no awkward meal silence since they continued talking, though not with their mouths full.

"Sensei, picking up from what you said earlier, you said you loved movies?"

"Yes. When I'm not working, I enjoy watching movies."

"What kind of movies?"

"Well, I watch anything from classic films to independent films. How about you? Do you like movies?" Ijuuin asked.

"Yeah, you can say I do. I'm alone most of the time, so I have lots of free time to watch movies. Some of my favorites are _Let The Right One In_ and _Once_."

The older man chuckled. "Yanase-san, you sound like quite the romantic type."

Yuu almost choked on his cola when Ijuuin made that statement. "I-Ijuuin-sensei, that's crazy! What makes you think that?"

"Your favorite films have romantic themes, you know."

"Ahem. I think you're forgetting that romance is not the main theme in those movies. _Let The Right One In_ mainly involves vampires and _Once _revolves around music. Romance is just a supporting detail."

"Okay, that's your interpretation." Ijuuin grinned as he took another bite of his food.

* * *

After eating and paying the bill, they both went outside, where it was snowing only a little.

"Where are you headed next, Yanase-san?"

"I'm just going home. Probably just going to catch up on some TV shows I've missed."

"Oh. In that case, may I walk you home, Yanase-san?"

Yuu's cheeks became a little pink.

"I guess you may…if it's not any trouble."

"No trouble at all."

* * *

Later, they reached Yuu's house and Ijuuin was impressed about how nice it looked.

"This is a really nice house, Yanase-san."

"Thank you, Sensei. Would you like to come in?" Yuu invited him.

"I'd love to, but that will have to wait another time. I have some manuscripts that need some writing at home. But I can assure you, next time."

Yuu simply nodded. "So, I guess this is bye for now?"

"Yeah, for now."

But it was clear that Ijuuin didn't want to leave so soon. Although he had a lot of work ahead of him, he had a great time with Yuu and wanted to stick around longer. So he decided to give Yuu a little something before going.

"Hey, Yanase-san."

"Yeah?" Yuu asked as he opened his door and turned around.

Then Ijuuin brought his face close to Yuu's and gave him a tender kiss. Needless to say, Yuu was vey surprised and so was Ijuuin. He had no idea what was going on in his head, all knew was that he felt something deep for the younger man. Before it could get any weirder, Ijuuin broke the kiss.

"Sensei…" Yuu gasped, confused at what just happened.

"I'm sorry, Yanase-san. I just…um…let's forget this whole thing happened okay? I'll see you."

Then Ijuuin silently walked away, leaving a stunned Yuu.

"Oh crap. That was impulsive, but stupid. Why did I kiss him? He's probably not going to work with me anymore; I don't want that to happen." Ijuuin thought to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuu had gone inside his house and was lying down on his bed, thinking about what had just happened earlier.

"That was so freaky. Why did he kiss me all of sudden? It's weird…but I want him to do that to me again. What's happening to me?"

* * *

**Author's note**

**- I hope that wasn't too fast, but yeah, I felt that it was time.**

**- Please read and review. And feel free to offer me some help. Trust me, I need it.**


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